You may have seen a few Do Not Mow signs popping up around your neighborhood. Let’s talk about what they’re for.
The purpose of a Do Not Mow sign is right in its name – it lets people know that they shouldn’t mow that particular area.
The signs are provided by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and each year SSISC is tasked with installing them in the Sea to Sky region. They are intended for the road maintenance crews who are in charge of mowing the roadside vegetation, as mowing certain invasive plants can exacerbate their spread or cause further problems, such as spreading harmful sap.
Let’s look at a few instances where not mowing a plant can be a wise choice:
Knotweed
Knotweed has a remarkable ability to spread vegetatively – even a small piece of knotweed stem or root (as little as 0.7 grams) can re-sprout into a new plant. If a knotweed site is mowed, this could spread knotweed parts all over the area, allowing it to spread rapidly.
Wild Parsnip and Giant Hogweed
Wild Parsnip and Giant Hogweed are both carrot family members (Apiaceae). They both contain a toxic sap; skin contact with the plant’s leaves or stems can cause painful blisters and irritation (photodermatitis) when the skin is exposed to sunlight.
Mowing Wild Parsnip or Giant Hogweed could spread its toxic sap all over, harming the person who is mowing and the people who enter the area or use the same mowing equipment afterwards.
What should I do if I see a Do Not Mow sign?
If you’re not mowing, for the most part, you can ignore it. These signs are generally put up to remind road maintenance crews to skip certain sections while they are mowing roadsides.
If you see any invasive species (such as Knotweed, Wild Parsnip or Giant Hogweed) please report the sighting to us.
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